Letter to Staff
As the Department of Social Service celebrates 80 years of
providing services, we’re reminded that the future of health
care is extremely dynamic. Advancing technologies create
unprecedented “medical miracles” that are often
accompanied by new ethical, psychosocial, and financial challenges
for patients, their families, and the University of Iowa Hospitals
and Clinics. To meet these challenges, UI Hospitals and
Clinics and the College of Medicine continue to integrate
resources, to focus on service leadership, and to identify ways to
maximize efficiencies such as the Length of Stay management
initiatives.
The Department of Social Service continually embraces UI
Hospitals and Clinics’ strategic initiatives of
“Pursuing Excellence,” “Improving
Efficiencies,” and “Fostering Growth,” while
remaining “anchored” to our core mission to:
Provide
services to patients and their families to enable them to make the
best use of medical care while in the hospital and following
discharge;
- Provide interdisciplinary leadership and promote collaboration to
continually improve discharge planning and continuity of care
services;
- Provide training programs for staff, students and outside agencies; and
- Participate in research activities to further and improve social services.
The information contained in this annual report illustrates the
results of our collective efforts. On behalf of the
Department of Social Service and UI Hospitals and Clinics, thank
you!
Greg Jensen, ACSW, LISW
Director
Patient Care Services
The Department of Social Service provides services to patients and families throughout UI Hospitals
and Clinics inpatient areas, outpatient clinics, and outreach
sites.
Social Work Services
During 2000-01, 158,114 social work services were provided to
36,160 patients and families. This represents a 38% increase
in the number of patients served in the last five years.
|
1996-97 |
1997-98 |
1998-99 |
1999-00 |
2000-01 |
| Social Work Consultations |
26,174 |
27,070 |
33,190 |
36,539 |
36,160 |
| Services Provided |
126,072 |
131,115 |
146,088 |
157,788 |
158,114 |
Social work services were provided in the following areas to
respond to problems and needs:
Interpreter Services
Interpreter and translation services were provided to 5,448
non-English speaking and hearing-impaired patients and
families.
Other Professional Services
In addition to direct services to patients and families, staff
provide a variety of services on behalf of the department (e.g.,
committee activities, etc.), the hospital (e.g., training, program
development, etc.), the community (e.g., board representation,
etc.) and their profession (e.g., social policy development,
etc.). During 2000-01, Social Service staff provided 4,988 of
these professional services.
| Services |
1996-97 |
1997-98 |
1998-99 |
1999-00 |
2000-01 |
| Behalf of Department |
8,820 |
8,993 |
11,193 |
12,077 |
12,234 |
| Behalf of Hospital |
1,320 |
1,346 |
1,677 |
1,809 |
1,833 |
| Behalf of Community |
480 |
489 |
609 |
657 |
666 |
| Behalf of Profession |
192 |
188 |
234 |
252 |
255 |
Continuum of Care
The Department of Social Service has a rich
history directed to assuring that patients and their families
experience a smooth transition from one level and site of care to
another. Continuum of care efforts during 2000-01
included:
Discharge Planning
Department of Social Service staff provide case management
services to all UI Hospitals and Clinics patients requiring
discharge planning to community facilities. Similarly,
patients returning home and requiring complex, high-tech home care
services, are case managed by clinical social workers.
| Number of Facility Placements |
|
1999-00 |
2000-01 |
| Acute Care |
210 |
202 |
| Rehabilitation |
288 |
350 |
| Skilled Care |
840 |
898 |
| Intermediate Care |
558 |
611 |
| Residential Care |
285 |
245 |
| Total |
2,181 |
2,306 |
Facility Placement for Patients Awaiting Medicaid
(Revolving Fund)
Discharges can be delayed several weeks or months while a Medicaid application is
being processed. The Revolving Fund permits UI Hospitals and
Clinics to pay a receiving facility a percentage of the Iowa
Medicaid rate while the application is being processed, and the
receiving facility then reimburses our initial payment once
Medicaid is approved for the patient.
Interdisciplinary Discharge Planning Coordination
Section (IDPCS)
During 2000-01, the Department of Social Service worked with the
Interdisciplinary Discharge Planning Coordination Section to
establish a unit-based team on 6 RCE to implement a 10:00 a.m.
discharge hour and to develop a Long-Term Stay Board to address
medically and psychosocially complex discharge planning
situations. Thirteen cases were reviewed and discharge
planning problems resolved. The Hospital-wide education
related to the IDPCS focus was provided through a “Discharge
Planning Matters” newsletter. In addition, a Facility
Satisfaction Survey was implemented, to determine community nursing
facilities’ satisfaction with discharge planning from UI
Hospitals and Clinics.
Access to Care
One of the Department of Social Service’s
central missions is to help patients and families access existing
financial and community-based services. During 2000-01 the
following benefit assistance programs were offered to patients and
families.
Patient Medication Assistance Program (PMAP)
Initiated with a Process Improvement Grant and in partnership
with the Department of Pharmaceutical Care, PMAP helps patients who
cannot afford to buy their medications obtain medications from
pharmaceutical company indigent patient care programs.
|
1999-00 |
2000-01 |
| Number of Applications Taken |
1,253 |
2,113 |
| Number of Applications Approved |
1,131 (91%) |
1,917 (91%) |
| Total Medication Value Obtained |
$ 402,935 |
$ 631,953 |
| PMAP Salary and Fringe Benefit Costs |
$ 34,800 |
$ 71,300 |
Health Care Benefits Assistance Program (HCBAP)
Patients’ access to health care is often predicated on
their ability to acquire insurance benefits. HCBAP assists
patients and families in completing applications for entitlement
and categorical programs, seeking waivers, and appealing
denials. During 2000-01, HCBAP services were expanded to the
Virology Clinic to assist patients in accessing financial coverage
for medical care.
| Number of Medicaid & Disability Applications |
1,504 |
| Number of Applications Approved |
1,223 (81%) |
| Total Medicaid Charges Reverted from No-Payor |
$ 30,731,560 |
| Total State Papers Reversed to Medicaid |
$ 7,435,512 |
| HCBAP Salary and Fringe Benefit Costs |
$ 216,700 |
Women, Infants and Children’s Services
The WIC program promotes good health care at critical times of
growth and development by providing supplemental foods and
nutrition education at no cost to eligible persons. The
Department of Social Service coordinates an on-site WIC office to
improve patient access to these services. Approximately 200
patients accessed WIC services at UI Hospitals and Clinics during
2000-01.
Pre-Admission Screening
During 2000-01, the Department of Social Service collaborated
with Patient Fiscal and Registration Services to conduct
pre-admission assessment of individuals’ financial
responsibility for care at UI Hospitals and Clinics.
Efficient Care
Identifying efficiencies assures patients’ continued access to care and
creates opportunities for staff to participate in new programs and
services. 2000-01 activities included:
HBSI
Financial benchmarking with other hospital-based social service
programs facilitates a more global view of the cost of our
services, compared to peer institutions. The Department of
Social Service was in the 25th percentile three out of
four quarters in CY 2000, when compared to other University
Hospital Consortium institutions.
Training in Recognizing and Reporting Suspected Child and Dependent Adult Abuse
All UI Health Care clinicians who attend or treat suspected
victims of child or dependent adult abuse are required, by Iowa
law, to receive two hours of training every five years.
Social work staff train over 1100 UI Health Care staff each
year. A two-hour training video was revised during 2000-01 to
assure a consistent approach to this training, while being more
efficient for the instructors and more convenient for
participants.
Social workers also provide training to other staff and the
general public on the characteristics and impact of family
violence.
Organ Donation Program
The UI Hospitals and Clinics Organ Donation Program, implemented
in 1997, resulted from a partnership among UI Health Care, the Iowa
Donor Network, and the Partnership for Organ Donation. The
Department of Social Service coordinates the Brain Dead and
Non-Heart-Beating Donor protocols and provides 24-hour
“Family Support Person” services. 2000-01 organ
donation rates at UI Hospitals and Clinics (69%) exceed both Iowa
(50%) and national (41%) organ donation rates.
Pursuing Excellence
Maintaining excellence requires
intellectual curiosity, a commitment to continuous learning, and a
focus on transferring knowledge to the next generation of health
care providers.
Employer of Choice
onsistent with UI Hospitals and Clinics’ goal to become
an “Employer of Choice,” the Department of Social
Service developed an action plan to assist us in becoming an
employer of choice for social workers practicing in health
care. Our plan consists of four core variables including: a)
financial rewards; b) balance of work and home life; c) employee
development; and d) trust, pride and camaraderie – workplace
relationships.
2000-01 Employer of Choice goals accomplished included:
- Market salary analysis for Social Worker III’s, resulting
in increased salary compensation;
- Department of Social Service web site launched in March of
2001, to provide comprehensive resource information to patients and
staff;
- Staff requests for job sharing and flex time granted while
continuing to meet staffing levels;
- Individual and group supervision offered to LMSW social workers
who are pursuing a higher level (LISW) of social work
licensure;
- Weekly e-mail communication forum entitled “Social
Service E-Forum” developed to enhance communication practices
within the department.
Teaching
Departmental staff teach a 15-session Basic Skills Training
Seminar to the approximately 13 graduate and undergraduate social
work students placed at UI Hospitals and Clinics each year.
Through an American Cancer Society grant awarded for the past six
consecutive years, graduate level training is provided in social
work practice and research in oncology.
The Department also provides a number of staff development
sessions. Monthly inservice sessions and “Spotlight on
Practice” meetings are held.
In addition, social work staff provide shadowing experiences for
first-year medical students in “Foundations of Clinical
Practice,” and facilitate groups for medical students taking
the “Dimensions of Human Medicine” course. Five
staff members serve as adjunct faculty at the School of Social
Work.
Monthly educational sessions for the general public are provided
through UI Hospitals and Clinics “Coffee Break” series
for senior citizens. An “Information Series” of
brochures and handouts provides resource, access and counseling
information.
Research
Practice research is conducted to enhance the knowledge base and
technology of social work practice in health care. Research
activities include surveys, studies on the effects of particular
programs, studies on practice activities and varying interventions,
plus qualitative and quantitative research. Social workers
collaborate with other health care professionals in
interdisciplinary research studies, or serve as principal
investigators in research focused on psychosocial or cultural
issues related to health care.
The University of Iowa does not discriminate in its educational
programs and activities on the basis of race, national origin,
color, religion, sex, age, or handicap. The University also
affirms its commitment to providing equal opportunities and equal
access to University facilities without reference to affectional or
associational preference. For additional information on
nondiscrimination policies, please contact the Coordinator of Title
IX and Section 504 in the Office of Affirmative Action, telephone
319/335-0705, 202 Jessup Hall, The University of Iowa, Iowa City,
Iowa 52242.
|
|
